GTA 6 Won’t Cost $100, Says Ex-Rockstar Dev — But You’ll Pay Another Way

Quick reality check on the whole 'GTA 6 is going to cost $100' thing: it sounds flashy, but people who actually know how Rockstar operates are not buying it.

The $100 debate, according to someone who would know

Obbe Vermeij, former Technical Director at Rockstar North, just chatted with GamesHub about his new project 'Plentiful', his time at Rockstar, and yes, the GTA 6 pricing rumor. His take on the $100 talk is pretty blunt.

'Pointless internet gossip.'

Vermeij expects GTA 6 to launch at a standard price because he believes Rockstar wants the biggest possible player base for the online component. The real money, he says, will come later — through online monetization over years, not by charging a premium on day one.

And that tracks with history. GTA Online has been a money-printing machine since GTA 5 dropped in 2013. We’re talking billions in microtransactions, and the game is widely considered the most profitable live-service model the industry has seen. Why mess with a system that turned a single release into a decade-long revenue stream?

He also points out the obvious: game development costs are out of control, and GTA 6 is likely one of the priciest projects ever. Rockstar still needs to recoup that investment — just not necessarily by hiking the base price. Expect the online side to do the heavy lifting, likely via familiar tools like Shark Cards and GTA+ membership, with the main story untouched by microtransactions. Players hate nickel-and-diming, sure, but this is the least-toxic version of a business model Rockstar already runs.

• What to expect right now: a normal launch price, a big push for the online mode, and long-tail monetization (think Shark Cards/GTA+), with the campaign staying clean.

Release timing: the rumor mill vs. reality

Pricing probably stays under wraps until we’re closer to launch. Meanwhile, the last couple of weeks have kicked up new rumors that GTA 6 might slip to 2027 or beyond, supposedly because of development crunch and other internal issues. Rockstar, as usual, hasn’t said a word about any delay.

Mike York, a former Rockstar animator, told GamingBolt he doesn’t think another delay is likely. But he also threw down a warning about what happens if it does slip again:

'The hype will die down almost completely.'

That’s a fair concern. This is one of the most anticipated games of the decade, and plenty of fans already feel like it’s been kicked down the road more than once with not much new info to show for it. If Rockstar does push it again, you could see attention drift to other big releases.

For now, expect chatter to keep circling a 2026 window until something concrete lands. Developer: Rockstar Games. Release year: still a moving target.

So, what do you think — does GTA 6 launch at $100, or does Rockstar stick to the usual price and let online do the heavy lifting again?